Category: movies

Teen asks the Internet for advice on how to ask out a trans girl, Laverne Cox responds

When you’re a teenager, asking out your crush can be terrifying. You’re confessing your deepest feelings, and there’s no guarantee your crush will feel the same way. If you get rejected, that would be devastating. But if your crush says yes, you’d feel insanely happy. Do it! No, wait. Do it! No, wait. Until you get the courage to ask, these thoughts ping-pong around in your brain, turning you into a bundle of nerves.

But you know what makes this situation even more scary? If your teenage crush is transgender. In recent years, the world’s become much more aware of transgender issues. With more transgendered people visible in pop culture, more transgendered people have felt the confidence to accept who they are. But in some parts of society, there’s still a stigma attached. And high school, in particular, can be a brutal place, full of bullies hungry to mock anyone different from the norm.
Yesterday a teenage boy asked Reddit for advice on how to ask out a transgender girl whom he had a crush on. In the post, he spills his guts, saying “if I were a cartoon my eyes would turn into hearts and leap from their sockets when I see her.” They did each other portraits in art class and it was “MAGICAL…like a Jack and Rose moment, except nobody was naked and neither of us died.” His little brother suggests giving her flowers because “he bets no other guy has given her flowers before.” However, he’s scared to ask her out, because it would be “social suicide.” His friends make “a lot of rude and derogatory remarks” and “talk about how she’ll never be a real woman.” He’s also “terrified of what his parents might think.” The post may have “turned novella length,” but it’s a story the Internet loved.

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Eric Francisco
@EricTheDragon
There is a 17yo boy on Reddit asking advice how to ask out a trans girl at school. It is absolutely heartwarming, and also he’s a really good writer? https://dg.reddit.com/r/relationships/comments/7spw5q/there_is_a_trans_girl_17_f_in_my_17_m_school_that/?st=jctn45hk&sh=c4c0356a …

“There is a trans girl [17 F] in my [17 M] school that I can’t get out of my mind. I have a massive crush on her but I’m also afraid of social suicide if I ask her out.

I can’t even begin to explain how absolutely and painfully beautiful this girl is. She totally makes me feel lovesick. If I were a cartoon my eyes would turn into hearts and leap from their sockets whenever I see her. She makes me feel weak in the knees… the butterflies in my belly are aggressive and many… I could write poetry about this woman.
Unfortunately the majority of people don’t see her like I do. She only started transitioning a year and a half ago. It’s a smaller community, so she’s been around ever since I started going to school. A lot of people refer to her as “he.” I’ve even heard a teacher or two mistakenly (or perhaps on purpose) call her by her prior name. She has a much more feminine name now.

Girls are more friendly with her, but a lot of guys, my friends included make a lot of rude and derogatory remarks about her. They talk about how she’ll never be a real woman and how they’d never touch someone like her.

She is so real to me though. No doubt about it. I’ve never felt this crazy about a girl before. We go to the same school art club which is when I really started crushing on her. Her art, guys. HER ART. God. Please. Just ugh…

She’s so talented. It was portrait week and we got paired up. We did each other’s portraits and it was MAGICAL.” It was like a Jack and Rose moment, except nobody was naked and neither of us died. She said she loved the picture of her I drew and she asked to keep it.

We have exchanged numbers and we text a lot. Just last night she asked to hang out sometime out of school. I’ve currently home half dead from the flu, but when I’m better I really want to take her out. I want to do something extremely special. I want to ask if she wants a date.
However, I know the second word spreads we are hanging out or people see us together or if we become a “thing” guys will be awful to me and I know my friends won’t get it. I don’t know if they’d disown me, but obviously I couldn’t be friends with people who make fun of my girlfriend.

I haven’ t talked to my parents. I don’t know how they’d feel about her. My older sister who just graduated high school last year says I should stay away from her because of all the drama she could cause. Plus my sister thinks I could become the target of bullies and people might even think I’m gay. This is definitely something I worry about.

My little brother (who is in middle school, so I don’t know how credible his advice is) says I should bring her flowers to school on valentines day because he bets no other guy has given her flowers before. I think this is amazing. I’d definitely like being the first guy to ever give her flowers, but it’s also a a very public and romantic gesture. There is no second guessing the nature of it. She also deserves flowers on valentines day. I want to make her smile.

This has turned novella length. I should quit rambling. I could ramble about her for DAYS. Believe me.

What do I do? I think I know what to do. I mean, I know what I WANT to do. I want to make her feel special. I want to be her boyfriend. I’m just terrified of the social repercussions and I’m a little terrified of what my parents might think too. Maybe they won’t care. Maybe nobody would care. That’s highly unrealistic.
What would you guys do in my shoes? What’s the smart move?

Do I ask her out even though people wouldn’t really get it? I don’t want everybody to hate me. But I really want her to like me.”

alt Credit: Reddit

In the comment section, people were incredibly supportive, praising the little brother’s advice as “so innocent and profound.” “Be the kind of person your little brother thinks you should be,” wrote one person. “I want OP’s little brother to give me advice on everything,” replied another. “Yeah, there’s a real risk of being bullied and harassed for dating a trans person,” said a third. “But whatever you get, I’m sure it’ll be a fraction of what she experiences on a daily basis.” The teenage boy – who goes by Azure-skies-123 replied to this comment, saying he “REALLY [wants] to give this girl some damn flowers” but might do it privately instead of in public.

alt Credit: Reddit
All of the attention must have been too much for the teen, because he deleted his original post on Reddit. Luckily, screenshots of it were captured and spread around on Twitter, melting everyone’s cold, dead hearts.

25 Jan

Eric Francisco
@EricTheDragon
There is a 17yo boy on Reddit asking advice how to ask out a trans girl at school. It is absolutely heartwarming, and also he’s a really good writer? https://dg.reddit.com/r/relationships/comments/7spw5q/there_is_a_trans_girl_17_f_in_my_17_m_school_that/?st=jctn45hk&sh=c4c0356a … pic.twitter.com/CC3SnNssL7
Eric Francisco
@EricTheDragon
“It was like a Jack and Rose moment, except nobody was naked and neither of us died.”

Eric Francisco
@EricTheDragon
There is a 17yo boy on Reddit asking advice how to ask out a trans girl at school. It is absolutely heartwarming, and also he’s a really good writer? https://dg.reddit.com/r/relationships/comments/7spw5q/there_is_a_trans_girl_17_f_in_my_17_m_school_that/?st=jctn45hk&sh=c4c0356a … pic.twitter.com/CC3SnNssL7
Naomi Carleton
@ensie1
I am so invested in this relationship.

Naomi Carleton
@ensie1
Replying to @EricTheDragon
I am so invested in this relationship.
Naomi Carleton
@ensie1
Seriously. I hope it’s real but if not I am buying this book. I am already placing the preorder. @millercallihan you looking for authors writing about teen trans love stories? Because I’m all in.

Eric Francisco
@EricTheDragon
There is a 17yo boy on Reddit asking advice how to ask out a trans girl at school. It is absolutely heartwarming, and also he’s a really good writer? https://dg.reddit.com/r/relationships/comments/7spw5q/there_is_a_trans_girl_17_f_in_my_17_m_school_that/?st=jctn45hk&sh=c4c0356a … pic.twitter.com/CC3SnNssL7
Maria laughing all the way at my own jokes Mainero
@MariaAnnaWitt
I wanna see the end of this story.

Eric Francisco
@EricTheDragon
There is a 17yo boy on Reddit asking advice how to ask out a trans girl at school. It is absolutely heartwarming, and also he’s a really good writer? https://dg.reddit.com/r/relationships/comments/7spw5q/there_is_a_trans_girl_17_f_in_my_17_m_school_that/?st=jctn45hk&sh=c4c0356a … pic.twitter.com/CC3SnNssL7
Mido
@MidoSSB4
He should just go for it. Worst case scenario he’ll know who his true friends are when the dust clears.

Eric Francisco
@EricTheDragon
There is a 17yo boy on Reddit asking advice how to ask out a trans girl at school. It is absolutely heartwarming, and also he’s a really good writer? https://dg.reddit.com/r/relationships/comments/7spw5q/there_is_a_trans_girl_17_f_in_my_17_m_school_that/?st=jctn45hk&sh=c4c0356a … pic.twitter.com/CC3SnNssL7
🌸 Your Trans Mom 🌸
@Lil_Fawny
OH GOD I HOPE HE ASKS HER OUT SHE’S GOING TO BE A VERY HAPPY AND WELL LOVED GIRL

Eric Francisco
@EricTheDragon
There is a 17yo boy on Reddit asking advice how to ask out a trans girl at school. It is absolutely heartwarming, and also he’s a really good writer? https://dg.reddit.com/r/relationships/comments/7spw5q/there_is_a_trans_girl_17_f_in_my_17_m_school_that/?st=jctn45hk&sh=c4c0356a … pic.twitter.com/CC3SnNssL7
Courtney Enlow
✔
@courtenlow
I love this precious teen. So much. pic.twitter.com/e2tPdpELln

Eric Francisco
@EricTheDragon
There is a 17yo boy on Reddit asking advice how to ask out a trans girl at school. It is absolutely heartwarming, and also he’s a really good writer? https://dg.reddit.com/r/relationships/comments/7spw5q/there_is_a_trans_girl_17_f_in_my_17_m_school_that/?st=jctn45hk&sh=c4c0356a … pic.twitter.com/CC3SnNssL7
❄️Arlowa❄️
@Arlowa52
The purest boy pic.twitter.com/4PASpsot2w

Eric Francisco
@EricTheDragon
There is a 17yo boy on Reddit asking advice how to ask out a trans girl at school. It is absolutely heartwarming, and also he’s a really good writer? https://dg.reddit.com/r/relationships/comments/7spw5q/there_is_a_trans_girl_17_f_in_my_17_m_school_that/?st=jctn45hk&sh=c4c0356a … pic.twitter.com/CC3SnNssL7
Eric
@trem2303
Where does this kid live? I want to drive this kid to school everyday and follow him around so no one bullies him. We need more people like this in the world

Eric Francisco
@EricTheDragon
There is a 17yo boy on Reddit asking advice how to ask out a trans girl at school. It is absolutely heartwarming, and also he’s a really good writer? https://dg.reddit.com/r/relationships/comments/7spw5q/there_is_a_trans_girl_17_f_in_my_17_m_school_that/?st=jctn45hk&sh=c4c0356a … pic.twitter.com/CC3SnNssL7
TheBarb ☮️✡️✝️💟🌈
@GrammaTrex
As mama to several lgbtq kids, 1 trans, I am crying. I hope all my kids find love and support like this

2:53 AM – Jan 26, 2018
10 10 Replies 13 13 Retweets 947 947 likes
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Laverne Cox
✔
@Lavernecox
Omg if I could advise this young man I would say that life is so much bigger than high school and if this young woman makes you as happy as it seems you must go towards that happiness. Love sets us free. Make her feel as special as she is & as you see her. #transisbeautiful https://twitter.com/EricTheDragon/status/956313410844680193 …

In fact, the post even drew the attention of transgender activist and Orange Is The New Black actress Laverne Cox. She responded, “Omg if I could advise this young man I would say that life is so much bigger than high school and if this young woman makes you as happy as it seems you must go towards that happiness. Love sets us free. Make her feel as special as she is & as you see her. #transisbeautiful”

alt Credit: Reddit

Did the teenage boy ever ask out his crush? I guess we’ll never know for sure. However, in one of the screenshots of the since-deleted thread, you can see he posted an updated. “I’m about 99% that I’m going to ask her out on a date,” the teen writes. “People are saying cheesy is good for our age, so I think I’m going to make her a card with a drawing on the front (not sure what yet) and a little rhyme on the inside asking her out!” Sounds like he made the right decision.

Miss Italy contestant receives death threats for her actions during competition

To a lot of people, being a “beauty queen” must seem like a pretty cushy job. All you have to do is stand around, look pretty, and occasionally give your opinion on something. Seems simple, right?

What many people don’t take into account, however, is that competing in these contests takes up a great deal of time, and a lot of pageant queens have to sacrifice other important parts of their lives in order to keep up their job.

Take Alessia Spagnuolo, for instance, a 24-year-old who recently took part in the Miss Italy contest; Not only is she a model and pageant competitor, she’s also a mother. And, like any good mother would, she considered her duty as a parent to be more important than her chances of winning the competition – so she made a drastic decision while on stage.

When she was preparing to compete in the swimsuit round of the national contest, Spagnulo realized that she had nobody to take care of her six-moth-old daughter, Chloe. Her partner, who works in a paper factory, and her mother – a nurse – were both called into work that day, so she had no choice but to take care of her herself.

Rather than give up on the job completely (which, after all, would give her a shot at taking home a good sum of money to look after her family), Spagnuolo decided to take the baby on stage with her, and strapped Chloe to her chest while modeling a swimsuit.

While many people thought the young mother’s actions were brave – especially considering that a former winner named Mirca Viola was stripped of her title in 1987 after it was discovered she had a child – others had the complete opposite response, and even sent her death threats over the matter.

According to Spagnuolo, someone told her “you deserve to die for this,” while others said it was “unnatural” and she should “stick to being a housewife.”

Understandably, the young woman was shocked by the comments, but has decided that the best way to handle the situation is to ignore them. She said: “I have never felt this kind of violence before but I am refusing to respond.”

Other contestants had offered to hold onto Chloe while Spagnuolo took her turn on stage, but the model didn’t see why she couldn’t bring her along. “I thought ‘Why should I hide her,'” she said.

Fortunately, her actions paid off, and she was one of just 18 out of 130 competitors to be chosen to progress to the next round.

This was amazing news for the 24-year-old, who previously held down a part-time job as a shop assistant, but was let go after she told her employers she was expecting a child. Now, with her newfound success, she hopes that the incident will inspire other young mothers to realize that they are not limited by their duties as a parent.

“My message to other mothers is that your dreams can come true even if you have a child and the 1,000 tasks that come with it,” she said.

Spagnuolo says that, if she wins, she will dedicate it to Mirca Viola.